Intravenous infusion systems are commonly used to access the vasculature of a patient as part of an infusion therapy procedure. An intravenous infusion system generally includes a fluid reservoir of IV bag that is connected to the patient via an intravenous catheter. The catheter is commonly coupled to a catheter adapter having a Luer-lock connector, or other connector-type for coupling the catheter adapter to a syringe, a section of intravenous tubing, or some other external Luer device. Fluid from the IV bag flow into the patient via the catheter adapter and the intravenous catheter.
In some instances, the catheter adapter further includes a blood control septum that is positioned within a fluid pathway running though the catheter adapter. The blood control septum is provided to allow selective flow of fluid through the fluid pathway. For example, the blood control septum may include a slit that may be bypassed when an external Luer device is coupled to the catheter adapter and directly engaging the septum. Upon removing the external Luer device, the slit is closed to prevent blood from leaking out of the catheter adapter.
In some instances, the catheter adapter further includes a septum actuator that is contacted by the external Luer device and advanced through the slit of the septum. The septum actuator is generally advanced through the septum to provide a permanent bypass or pathway through the septum. Thus, upon removal of the external Luer device, blood may freely flow out of the catheter adapter. Accordingly, many intravenous infusion systems which incorporate a septum actuator are intended for single use. For example, following catheterization of the patient, the septum is closed and blood is prevented from flowing out of the catheter adapter. However, once a clinician attaches an external Luer device to the catheter adapter, the septum actuator is advanced through the slit of the septum and fluid communication is established between the vasculature of the patient and the external Luer device. If the clinician wishes to remove the external Luer device, the clinician must either remove the entire intravenous infusion system from the patient, or must temporarily occlude the catheter in the patient's vein while the external Luer device is replaced with a new external Luer device or a cap. This limitation on some of the blood control catheter is due to the large variation of insertion depth in the existing external Luer devices. The distance the actuator is advanced depends on the insertion depth of the external Luer device. When the insertion depth is too low the actuator may not even open the septum slit to provide proper flow. At some minimum required insertion depth, the actuator will open up the septum slit just enough to provide adequate flow rate. If the external Luer device is removed at this insertion depth, the septum would push the actuator back out and close by itself. Further increase in insertion depth would not benefit the flow rate at all except pushing the actuator further into the septum slit. There exists a critical insertion depth beyond which the septum would not close by itself upon removal of the external Luer device. The difference between the critical insertion depth and the minimum required insertion depth is called the working distance of a self-sealing design and is dependent on the design of the septum, slit and the tip of the actuator. There is a very large variation in the insertion depth of the external Luer device, larger than the working distance of many blood control catheters. Such large variation in the insertion depth is largely due to the variation in the physical design of various Luer device and partly due to the variation in how tightly a Luer connection is made by clinician. In a typical catheter with blood control valve and septum actuator, the minimum required insertion depth is set to be equal or less than the minimum insertion depth of all existing external Luer device. However, when the insertion depth of the external Luer device is at the maximum of all existing external Luer device, the actuator will be pushed beyond the critical insertion depth making a reliable multi-use blood control catheter difficult to achieve.
Thus, while systems and methods currently exist to bypass a blood control septum as part of an infusion procedure, challenges still remain. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or replace current techniques with the system and methods discussed herein.